Living in John’s World: Because He Can’t Live in Mine

In the 1960s, a young man met and fell in love with a woman nine years older than him. After Pat reluctantly encouraged John to date women closer to his age, the winds of time took them down different paths. Neither would be free at the same time for years to come. Still, they stayed in touch and saw each other occasionally. But everything changed when John was diagnosed with early onset dementia while in his late forties.

As the disease slowly invaded the mind of this amazing, intelligent man, Pat reveals how she and John joined hands and hearts and decided to make the journey together. As they fell in love again and married, a heavenly light guided the way, providing warmth and comfort to a path that was sometimes steep and rocky, but often filled with love and laughter. While disclosing experiences that tested her inner-strength and perseverance over the next eleven years as John struggled and eventually succumbed to dementia, Pat provides reassurance to both caregivers and patients that they are never alone in their journeys.

In this powerful and heartfelt memoir about second chances, love, and resilience, a widow chronicles her experiences over eleven years as her husband battled dementia.